ORLANDO, Fla. – John Adams, founding father and second president, once extolled the value of public service to his youngest son, Thomas Boylston Adams, in a letter written in 1789.
“Public business my son, must always be done by somebody. It will be done by somebody or other. If wise men decline it others will not: if honest men refuse it, others will not.”
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Adams the younger was a couple of weeks away from turning 17.
More Americans these days see those in public office at the lower end of the integrity spectrum.
In a January 2022 Gallup Poll, those surveyed had a low opinion of public officeholders:
- 54% ranked local officeholders at an “average” level of honesty and ethical standards
- 39% ranked state officeholders at “low or very low” level of honesty and ethical standards
- 62% ranked members of Congress at a “low or very low” level of honesty and ethical standards
If the old adage holds that wanting something done right means doing it yourself, and you feel your county, state or federal lawmaker does not reflect your values, why not try and run for office?
When are the elections?
Florida’s Presidential Preference Primary is March 19, 2024. Florida has a statewide primary on Aug. 20. This election is for party primaries for federal and state offices, though some elected county positions are also partisan elections too, like for sheriff or elections supervisor. There will also be nonpartisan elections for county offices and judgeships.
The general election is Nov. 5. That election is open to all voters regardless of party.
Do I have to be a member of a political party?
You do not have to be a member of a political party to run for office. You can run as a No Party Affiliate. However, if you want to run under a specific political party, you must be a member of that party for 365 days before qualifying to run.
Not all elections are partisan elections. Many county and city offices are nonpartisan races, as are school board races. In those cases, it does not matter what your party affiliation is, and it won’t show up on the ballot.
If you are running for a partisan race, however, such as congressman or governor, Florida is a closed primary state.
In Florida, if an election draws more than one candidate from the same political party, there will be a primary election for that party.
For example, as mentioned before, Florida will only have a Republican primary for the presidential nomination on March 19. That means only voters who are registered Republicans can vote in that primary.
How do I qualify?
First, you must declare a campaign treasurer to handle all donations and file necessary paperwork throughout the campaign.
This year there are two qualifying periods in Florida. If you want to run for U.S. senator or representative, state attorney, public defender, or a judge, qualifying for office runs from noon, April 22 to noon, April 26.
If you want to run to be a member of the Florida House or Senate, or for county or city office, the period where you qualify for office runs from June 10 at noon to Friday, June 14, at noon.
There are three ways to file for office:
- Pay a qualifying fee
- Get enough petition signatures to waive the qualifying fee and run for office
- Sign up to be a write-in candidate, which means you won’t be on the ballot but supporters can write your name in and the vote will count
Qualifying fee costs can be found on the Florida Division of Elections website for federal and state offices. Check with your county or city to find out the qualifying fees for those offices.
Petition signature requirements can also be found on the Florida Division of Elections website for federal and state offices. Check with your county or city to find out the requirements for those offices.
Federal requirements for office are available for download in the 2024 Federal Qualifying Handbook on the Florida Division of Elections website.
To run for U.S. Senate, you must be:
- A U.S. citizen for at least nine years
- At least 30 years old
- You must live in the state when you are elected
To run for U.S. House of Representatives, you must be:
- A U.S. citizen for at least seven years
- At least 25 years old
- You must live in the state when you are elected
State requirements for office are available in the 2024 State Qualifying Handbook.
To run for Florida senator or Florida representative, you must be:
- A voter and resident of the district by the time you take office
- At least 21 years old
- A resident of Florida for at least two years before an election
Qualifying fee costs can be found on the Florida Division of Elections website for federal and state offices. Check with your county or city to find out the qualifying fees for those offices.
If you plan to gather petition signatures instead, petition signature requirements along with the official permission forms can also be found on the Division of Elections website under “Qualifying Materials.” You can also find the 2022 Candidate Petition Handbook, and all the forms you need to download.
Under the Forms and Publications section of the website, you can also find handbooks on electioneering communications, campaign financing and other guides on being a candidate.
In order to qualify for federal or state office, you must file in Tallahassee.
If you want to run for county office, you must file in your county. Also, you can find all county-qualifying documents on the county website. Contact your county supervisor of elections office to find out all of your requirements.
If you want to run for city office, visit your city or town’s clerk.
How do I find out what races are up for election this year?
The Florida Division of Elections says the following offices are up for election this year:
- U.S. Senator (Rick Scott is up for reelection)
- All U.S. House districts
- Odd-numbered Florida Senate districts
- All Florida House districts
- State attorney
- Public defender
County and city elections are different depending on where you live. You can go to your county supervisor of elections office to find out which districts you are in and what county elections are up this year.
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